An Awkward Reveal
by SelfProclaimedFangirlKate
Summary: COMPLETE! A 5-part mini-fic. Regina and Robin are both teachers at Storybrooke High School and notoriously hate each other, but can't seem to avoid each other no matter how hard they try. Is there a fine line between lust and hate? AU/no magic/no curse.
1. Part One: The Elevator

**A/N: I haven't written anything in years (seriously, my last attempts at any sort of creative writing are my Grey's fics on here from almost 10 years ago). But I've been lurking around FF after binging the entire OUAT series last fall, multiple times, and wanted to take a stab at writing something. This is a 5-part mini-fic I wrote last night when an idea hit me. I'll be posting one part every day until it's all uploaded.**

 **PART ONE - THE ELEVATOR**

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Regina slammed her palm against the wall as she stared at the emergency lights that flickered above her as the elevator jerked to a stop. The flickering stopped as quickly as it started and the small cubical was eclipsed in darkness.

"Relax. There are backup generators that should come on at any moment." Regina turned to the voice behind her, the familiar British accent grating on her nerves. He didn't even look up at her as he spoke, instead scrolling through something on his phone.

"I'm sure that's true, but nonetheless, being stuck in an elevator is not how I want to spend my afternoon...especially with you." She turned and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Robin looked up from his phone as he put it back in his pocket, extinguishing the soft light emitting from the screen. "Well I'm sorry to hear that, Ms. Mills, but I don't think you have much of a choice. But if it makes you feel better, it wasn't on my to-do list for today, either."

She scoffed as she pushed herself off the wall and toward the sliding doors. "Do you think we can pry the doors open?"

"I doubt it. Plus, I think we're between floors. Even if we get the doors open it's not like we can just walk out." He paused while he watched her dig her fingers into the small crevice between the doors in a feeble attempt to make them move. He chuckled and shook his head. "Careful….you might break a nail."

Regina looked back at him as she dropped her hands and sighed. She resumed her previous position against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor of the elevator, resting her forearms on her knees. She looked over at him and glared. "Okay genius, what now? We just wait to be rescued?"

Robin took his cue from Regina and sat down against the back wall. "I'm afraid so."

"That could be hours."

Robin laughed again. "I don't think it will be quite that long. I texted Principal Gold to let him know we're stuck in here." Robin's phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out. "Oh, speak of the devil."

Regina looked up at him expectantly but he said nothing. He just put his phone back in his pocket and stared straight ahead. He was infuriating. "…And…?"

"He said the power's out all over town because of the snow. The school's generator hasn't kicked in yet but they're working on it. He told us to hang tight for now and he'll let us know when he has more information."

"Well, that's super helpful. Thanks." The sarcasm dripped off her tongue as she spoke, taking out her phone and starting to type furiously.

"Who are you texting? There's nothing anyone can do for us right now."

"My mother. I'm letting her know she's a shitty superintendent and shouldn't have gone with the cheap generator that can't even survive one snow storm." Regina threw her phone back in her purse, stretched her legs out in front of her and kicked off her heels as she rested her head against the wall. Robin raised an eyebrow at her actions. "What? If I'm stuck here I'm at least going to try to get comfortable."

He grinned. "Is that an invitation?"

"No."

"Oh, come on. We clearly have time to kill. Plus, it would make for a good story."

"There will be no story." Regina turned her head to glare at him before staring back at the wall in front of her. "I knew going to that Halloween party was a bad idea."

Robin took his messenger bag off his shoulder, set it on the floor next to him and moved a few inches closer to Regina. "Oh, on the contrary. I think it was a very good idea."

Regina rolled her eyes, but never met his gaze. "It was one time. One kiss. One very bad lapse in judgment after a very shitty week and too many drinks. Can we change the subject, please?"

"Fine. But you can't avoid me or this conversation forever."

She continued to stare straight ahead, down at her hands, or up at the ceiling, but never at him. "Well, I thought I was doing a fine job for the past three weeks until this godforsaken elevator decided to try my patience."

"Okay, I'm sorry. We can resume our lives of hating each other from across the hallway."

She visibly relaxed. "Thank you. That's all I ask."

"So…" he started, trying to fill the awkward silence. He and Regina Mills never had much to talk about unless they were arguing about the other's teaching methods. "…Any plans for Thanksgiving?"

Regina looked over at Robin, debating whether to entertain his question and what promised to be a very boring line of conversation. "Oh, fuck it." She launched herself off the floor and straddled his lap, crashing her lips to his.

Robin reciprocated, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other hand resting behind her neck before he pulled back with a smirk. "What happened to it being a 'one time thing'?"

Regina stared at him incredulously. "Seriously? You're going to ask that question and give me a chance to change my mind? Besides, anything is better than awkward small talk. This serves as a distraction from our current situation."

"Good point." Robin shrugged before using the hand wrapped around the back of her neck to guide her face back to his. A minute later Robin groaned as the lights flickered back on and the elevator started moving again. "Oh, fucking hell."

Regina allowed a small sigh of frustration to escape her lips. She climbed off him and retrieved her shoes from the middle of the elevator before standing up and straightened out her skirt. Glancing over at Robin, she saw that he was still sitting on the floor and looking up at the lights, dumbfounded about their impeccable timing to start working again. She lightly kicked his foot. "Get up and pull yourself together….and this never happened." He looked back over to her and obliged, picking up his bag and using his thumb to wipe her lipstick from his mouth just in time for the doors to open.

"Mom, are you okay? Principal Gold said you were trapped in there." Henry Mills pushed through the small group of teachers and students who had gathered to see what happened when the elevator doors opened to reveal Regina Mills and Robin Locksley.

"Yes, honey, I'm fine. It was only 10 minutes. Let's get home before the snow gets any worse." She headed straight for the staff parking lot, not once looking back at Robin who was shaking his head as he walked toward the exit.


	2. Part Two: The Teacher's Lounge

**A/N: Thanks for the favorites and follows! Here's part two. (Note: all of this is backstory leading up to part five, which was the original idea I had for this story). And my apologies if you've received multiple notifications. When I uploaded this earlier today I got an error message so I had to delete and reupload. This site has changed a lot since I was last publishing stuff on here so I'm still figuring it out :)  
**

* * *

 **PART TWO – THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE**

"Did you have a good Thanksgiving?" Robin handed Regina the cup of coffee he just poured in the teacher's lounge as he grabbed another cup for himself. It was their first Monday back at work after the long holiday weekend, and the preceding elevator incident, and both were in dire need of caffeine.

"Yes, thank you. Did you?"

"It was fine. I caught up on grading and watched American football, though I've spent eight years in this country and I still don't understand why everyone here seems to be obsessed with it."

"I never understood that myself. Thank God Henry never wanted to play. I can't imagine having to sit through a game every Friday night for months at a time."

"Especially here. Storybrooke High School football players are not exactly known for their athletic prowess." Robin and Regina both chuckled, thinking of their school's humble team that hadn't won a game all season.

"Well, hello there!" Killian Jones interrupted the pair as he reached for a tea bag with Emma Swan not too far behind. "I heard you two had quite the adventure before break." He winked at Regina before wrapping his arm around Emma's waist. "You sure chose a good spot to wait out the power outage."

"Yes, a six-by-six box is a delightful place to be trapped." Regina rolled her eyes.

"It is if you're with the right company, am I right?" He lightly patted Emma's ass as he gave Robin a knowing look. Robin ignored him. "Oh, come on, really? As much as you two hate each other, passionate hate sex never crossed your mind when confined to a small, dark space?"

Regina did her best to look disgusted. "There was absolutely no hate sex. Not in the elevator, not ever," Regina said as she tossed her now empty coffee cup in the trash. For good measure, she added: "and there never will be," looking pointedly at Robin.

Emma chimed in, changing the subject. "Hey Regina, Mary Margaret will be here soon. Let's go finalize details for her bachelorette party." Emma grabbed Regina's hand and led her over to the couches in the corner of the lounge, leaving Robin and Killian in the kitchenette.

"Thank you." Regina sighed as she sat down.

"No problem. Now, are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Robin?"

"Ugh, not you, too. Nothing happened."

"Maybe not yet, but everyone can smell the pheromones coming off you two."

"There are no pheromones. I can't stand him. He's cocky and a giant ass, and screws any woman that so much as looks at him."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Emma smirked and Regina just stared back at her friend in feigned horror. "Fine. But for not being able to stand him, you sure have strong feelings."

"Yeah, strong feelings of hatred." Regina picked a piece of lint off her skirt.

"It's foreplay."

"What?" Regina turned her head sharply to look at Emma.

"It's foreplay, not hatred."

"Did you really just say that?"

"What? You know I'm right."

"You're not."

"What about the Halloween party?" Emma was the only person who knew about Halloween, and Regina was grateful Emma had kept her word and not said anything to anyone else - she really didn't need rumors circulating. Killian had thrown his annual over-the-top Halloween party down at Storybrooke Harbor and on his family's yacht. After a few drinks and a particularly scary haunted cannery experience, Emma had caught Robin and Regina making out in the yacht's utility closet. "Had I not been drunk and lost looking for the bathroom when I walked in on you, who knows what would have happened between you two."

"Nothing would have happened. I was coming to my senses and about to stop it right when you came in."

"Uh huh. It sure looked that way with your tits nearly popping out of your corset."

"Ugh. Don't be vulgar." Regina sighed and unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the back of the couch.

"Okay, sorry. So, you're seriously saying it was a one-time thing and you're not ever going there again?"

"Correct." Regina kept a straight face as she waited to see if Emma could see through her blatant lie.

"Okay. I believe you. For now." She looked at her friend as she leaned back on the couch.

"Seriously, Emma, it was a one-time lapse in judgment fueled by whatever the hell was in that punch Killian made. Never. Again." She punctuated her statement with a flick of her hand.

Emma gave her a questioning look. "Uh huh. For what it's worth, I do think you guys would be good together...or at least have really spectacular sex if nothing else." Regina shook her head and sent Emma warning glare. "Alright, I have to head to class. Don't forget about Mary Margaret's bachelorette weekend. We leave at 4pm on Friday." The two women picked up their purses and headed out the door.

"Of course. I'm looking forward to it. It'll be nice to get away for the weekend. I just have to drop Henry off at my mother's house after work but I'll be ready to go by 4."

"Where are you ladies off to?" Regina jumped as she heard Robin's voice behind them, not realizing that he and Killian had jogged to catch up to them in the hallway.

"Class."

"Ha, funny. I meant this weekend."

"Mary Margaret's bachelorette party is this weekend. We're going skiing in Vermont," Emma replied as Regina did her best to ignore Robin's lingering presence.

"That sounds fun. Well, this is where I must leave you." Robin hit the call button for the staff elevator to head up to his fourth floor classroom. When the doors opened, he paused. "Mills, are you coming?"

Regina stared at him. "I'll take the stairs." She turned around and walked toward the stairwell, her heels echoing with each step she took.


	3. Part Three: The Greek Comedy

**PART THREE – THE GREEK COMEDY**

"What the hell was that?" Regina yelled at Robin as they entered the staff room on a Thursday afternoon a few weeks later, not even trying to keep her voice at a reasonable volume.

"What the hell was what?"

"That shit you just pulled. It was way out of line."

"I'm sorry, but I don't see what the big deal is." His slight chuckle enraged Regina even more.

"Guys, what the hell is going on?" Emma got up from her table to approach the two and looking back and forth between them. Regina was seconds away from spitting fire while Robin looked amused.

"Ask her." Robin said, sitting against one of the tables and crossing his arms.

"Regina?"

She leaned forward on the kitchenette counter, bracing herself as she took a breath. "Per the school board's demands for more interdisciplinary collaboration, my AP history class partnered with his AP literature class to study Greek tragedies and comedies. Everything was fine until we started reviewing _Lysistrata_ today." She pushed herself off the counter and turned around to face Emma and Robin.

"Which one is that?" Emma asked, not up-to-date on her Greek plays.

"The one where the women decide to withhold sex from the men until they end the war," Robin clarified.

"Okay….and?"

Robin picked up the story from there. "Well, the guys in the class were being typical teenage boys and making comments, mostly whining about how they didn't get it" Robin started to explain. "So, I thought it would help them take it seriously if we read the play out loud like it's meant to be read, because it is a play after all." He paused to send a sideways glance at Regina, before continuing. "That way they could see the power behind the words and appreciate its message."

Regina interrupted him. "Which would be fine, until the scene where Myrrhine tries to seduce her husband. Given the nature of the scene, Robin thought it would be more appropriate for us to read it instead."

"Well, yes, I figured it wouldn't be the best idea for a student to be acting out a scene about 'wanting a fuck'."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have suggested they act it out in the first place! This is not what we discussed when we planned the unit. They were supposed to read it on their own and then come to class for a mature discussion about the play, the role of women in classical antiquity, and an example of early feminism in literature and politics. Not some twisted game where you humiliate me in front of both our classes. Not to mention my son is in your English class. It's embarrassing enough for him to have his mother teaching this material in front of him and his friends, but then you pull this shit. Plus, my mother will probably hear about it. I had to fight the school board to even let us teach this play, but they saw the educational value in it and reluctantly approved it. Now my mother will probably get a complaint from an angry parent because her kid's teachers were yelling about fucking and erections in the middle of class. I don't need to deal with that on top of everything else over Christmas dinner with my parents." Regina was fuming.

"Look, Regina, I'm sorry. Maybe I didn't think it through, but I truly thought the students would be able to handle the material and that it was the right call to have us read that scene instead of them. And, I thought you would be able to be a professional about it – hell, I know you were in this play back in college so I really didn't think you'd mind. I didn't intend to embarrass you. I honestly didn't think it was a big deal. If it's an appropriate play to have them read as a class assignment, I didn't think it would be that far-fetched to read it out loud during class."

"Of course you didn't. You never think anything through. But you know what? It's fine. The unit's done, and at least winter break starts tomorrow so I'll get a two week reprieve from dealing with you and your shit." Regina turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Wow…you really fucked up."

Robin looked over at Emma, almost forgetting that she was there. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing." Robin shrugged and grabbed a cup of coffee. "She's made it perfectly clear how she feels about me, and I have to say the feeling is mutual."

* * *

Robin quietly knocked on Regina's office door. "Come in," he heard her call from inside the room. She briefly looked up from grading papers when he opened the door, but quickly resumed her task. "What do you want?".

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, leaning against it. "I wanted to apologize again, properly, for earlier."

She didn't look up. "Really? Because you didn't seem to think you did anything wrong. What changed in the last hour?"

"Nothing, I suppose."

"Then again I must ask, why are you here?" She stared at him expectantly.

"You seemed really angry. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I was angry. I still am. But, I'll be fine."

"Are we okay?"

"Robin," she looked up exasperated. "There is no 'we.'" He nodded as she looked back down at the pile of papers on her desk before he walked out of her office, dejected.


	4. Part Four: New Year's Eve

**A/N:** Thanks again for the reviews/follows/favorites! Part 4 and 5 were originally going to be a long one-shot/the original idea for this story, but I added parts 1-3 to have more backstory/help set this up. Part 5 will be up tomorrow to conclude this mini-fic.

* * *

 **PART FOUR – NEW YEAR'S EVE**

"And you know the rules?" Regina looked at her son as she double-checked that she had everything she needed.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom. No drinking. No drugs. Definitely no drinking and driving. No texting and driving. No talking to strangers. Just say no. No glove, no love."

"I'm serious, Henry."

"I am, too. I'll be fine, mom. I'm almost an adult. I know the rules. It's New Year's Eve. I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm just spending the night at Nick's party. It'll just be some guys hanging out and playing video games. Low key. I promise."

"Okay. Be good." She kissed the top of his head as she grabbed her garment bag and walked out the front door to her car to head to Storybrooke Plaza for Mary Margaret's wedding.

* * *

"There are at least two other weddings in the other ballrooms," Regina said as she approached Emma at the bar during the reception. "Who knew so many people would want to get married on New Year's Eve?"

"I know, but it's kind of romantic, I guess… wanting the start the new year as a married couple and all. Plus, at least it's an open bar and we didn't have to overpay for tickets to some lame party. It gives us somewhere to be." The bartender handed her a bottle of Heineken and she took a swig. "Plus, you know everyone in here. Maybe you can find some hot piece of ass from one of the other weddings to take home with you."

"Ha. Funny." Regina accepted the glass of red wine the bartender placed in front of her.

"I'm serious, Regina. When was the last time you got laid?"

"I stopped counting after it hit a year, and that was months ago. But, it's fine. I've been more focused on making sure my 17-year-old son gets through high school in one piece."

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Robin came up and stood on the other side of Emma as he signaled the bartender for another scotch on the rocks.

"Ugh, just when I thought I would get two glorious weeks without seeing your face, you show up and ruin my bliss," Regina said, ignoring his question. "Why are you here?"

"Believe it or not, Regina, I do have friends here and am an invited guest."

"I was just going to head over to find my boyfriend. I'll see you later, Regina," Emma patted her on the shoulder as she went back to the dance floor where Killian was dancing with the bride and groom.

"Are you still pissed at me?" Robin asked as he took a sip of his Glenlivet and sat down on the stool Emma vacated.

Regina took a drink of her wine without even looking in his direction. "Yes."

"How many more drinks to make you forgive me?"

She let out a bemused laugh. "You're an ass."

"That's probably true. I am sorry I upset you, though."

"I appreciate your rather insincere apology."

"Did your mother get any complaints from angry parents?"

"Surprisingly, no. So, I suppose you're off the hook as far as that goes," she said, finally looking over at him as she downed the rest of her wine.

"Good, I'm glad. Another drink?" He asked, motioning toward her empty glass.

"What, trying to get me drunk?"

"It's a wedding with an open bar. It would be a shame to let all this alcohol go to waste."

She rolled her eyes and pushed her empty glass toward him. "Fine. But make it a bourbon."

Robin raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Yes, ma'am."

"Robin," Regina said, with a smirk. "Never call me 'ma'am' again."

"Yes, ma'a-mi'lady." He paused. "Is that any better?"

"Not really."

"Excuse me, handsome, could I borrow you for a dance?" A young woman Regina didn't know lightly brushed Robin's arm as she approached the bar. She guessed she was maybe 21 years-old. at most.

Robin looked at Regina who rolled her eyes and turned back to her drink, ignoring him completely. He extended his hand to the newcomer and accompanied her to the dance floor.

"Ass." Regina mumbled under her breath as he walked away and she knocked back the rest of her bourbon.

* * *

Robin returned to the bar a few songs later, surprised to see Regina exactly where he left her, nursing another drink. "You're still here? Shouldn't you be out on the floor with the rest of the bridal party?"

Regina shook her head. "I'm not much of a dancer. Mary Margaret knew that when she asked me to be her bridesmaid. I'm much better at drinking," she said, as she raised her vodka soda in a mock toast.

"I'll get you to dance before the night is over."

"What happened to jailbait girl?"

"What, are you jealous?"

Regina looked at him incredulously. "Not at all," she deadpanned, chewing on a piece of ice from her drink.

* * *

"You know, you pull off that dress quite well," Robin said, leaning into Regina's ear. He finally got her to agree to dance after a few more drinks as midnight quickly approached.

Regina laughed as she looked down at the baby pink satin gown Mary Margaret had selected for her bridesmaids. "Thanks, but I look like a stick of bubblegum. This dress is going to Goodwill in the morning."

"Well, I'm glad I got to see you in it before you give it away. You look lovely."

She took a small step back to look at him, expecting to see a sarcastic grin on his face. Instead, she just saw sincerity. It was unexpected and confused her. She shook it off. "I'm going to get another drink. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks, though." He replied. She gave him a small nod as she started to walk away, but he reached out and grasped her wrist before she got too far. "Regina, are you okay?"

"Yes, of course. I'll be back in a bit." She gave him a small smile and then turned around. He watched as she walked over to the bar, joining Killian and Emma for a shot before walking out of the ballroom through a pair of French doors leading to the outside.

Robin quickly followed, finding her on a large terrace overlooking a small pond. "What are you doing out here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting some fresh air."

"You do realize it's December in Maine and it's like 30 degrees out here. You're going to freeze."

"I've been drinking since before noon. I'm past the point of being able to feel cold. I'm lucky if I can feel anything right now, to be honest."

"Fair enough. But, I'm freezing and you are too, even if you can't feel it, so let's go back in. And it's only a few minutes until midnight." Robin motioned an arm toward the door. She acquiesced and let him guide her back inside. They heard the DJ announce that it was only 90 seconds until the new year. Robin smirked as they walked back to the bar, Regina leaning forward on her forearms trying to get the bartender's attention. "I don't suppose I can convince you to be my midnight kiss?"

She motioned for two shots, which the bartender promptly poured. She handed Robin one. "Cheers," she said, clinking his shot glass as they tossed back the drink.

"God, what was that?"

"What, can't handle your tequila?"

"It's not my favorite, no."

"Fine."

"Fine what?"

"Fine, I'll kiss you at midnight. It's not like it'll be the first time, nor do I have any other prospects in here."

"Well, don't sound too enthusiastic," he said, feigning disappointment.

"10…9…8..." the room filled with people counting down the seconds until midnight.

Regina pushed herself off the bar and stood up straight, slightly rolling her shoulders as she did so. "So are we doing this or what?" she asked over the sound of the final countdown.

"I love it when you're bossy" he replied as the final seconds were announced before she grabbed his lapels and pulled him to her, taking control of the kiss. They broke apart as the ballroom erupted into cheers toasting the new year. He looked down at her and saw her looking around the room. He leaned closer to her and whispered, "Relax, we're safe. No one saw us."

She snapped her head back to him, her eyes noticeably darker than before. "I…" she started but didn't really know what to say to that. Instead she reached for his hand, leading him out of the ballroom and into the hallway before pushing him against the wall and kissing him again.

"What was that for?" He asked 30 seconds later as they came up for air. She had completely taken him by surprise.

"I'm sorry, did you want to stay in there?" she asked gesturing back into the ballroom as she raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head and leaned closer. "Not if this is the alternative option" he said softly as he brought a hand to cup her left cheek and turned her head just enough so he could place a kiss just below her right ear, slowly making his way down her neck. She let out a hum, making him feel more bold than usual. "You know, I have a room upstairs."

"Lead the way."


	5. Part Five: New Year's Day

**PART FIVE – NEW YEAR'S DAY**

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck is that?" Regina growled as she lifted her head to look at the clock on the hotel nightstand.

"I think it's a party across the hall." Robin groaned, refusing to open his eyes.

"Ugh, it's 4am. Who the hell is still partying at this hour?"

"I don't know. But, I can think of something we could be doing now that we're awake."

Regina looked at him and allowed a small smile to cross her lips. "As much fun as that would be, and it would be fun, I'm still drunk and I can already feel a hangover coming on." She settled back down and wrapped her arm back around his abdomen, trying to get comfortable.

"I'm pretty sure being drunk hasn't stopped you before," he pointed out, remembering exactly how they ended up in their current position.

"Mhmm…I just want to sleep in hopes that maybe tomorrow won't be completely miserable." She shifted her head slightly, resting it against his shoulder.

"Well, good luck. They're being exceptionally noisy."

"Should we call hotel security?"

"That seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?" He looked down at the woman sprawled out across his chest and smiled as the memories of the past few hours replayed in his head. While they may barely tolerate each other and they may not be the best teaching team, it turned out that they could certainly do very pleasurable things to each other.

"Perhaps. I suppose we can try the more civilized approach," she said as she scooted out from under the covers.

"Which is?" He asked her as he turned on the bedside wall sconce, his eyes adjusting to the light as he watched her move off the bed and walk around naked. "Where are you going?"

She looked over her shoulder as she looked for something to put on. "I'm going to politely knock on their door, ask them to turn down the music, and then threaten to call the cops if they refuse." She grabbed the shirt he wore that night that had been discarded on the floor and buttoned it before going over to the chair where his duffle bag was open, grabbing a clean pair of his boxers which she quickly pulled on, rolling down the waistband in an effort to help them stay on her hips.

"And you're raiding my suitcase to do so?"

"Well, it's not like I brought anything up here with me, and someone literally ripped off my dress, so I can't exactly put that back on."

"Sorry about that." He actually looked somewhat ashamed.

She smirked. "Don't be."

"Why don't you come back here and I'll go handle it," he suggested as he started to sit up. "It could be dangerous."

She studied him carefully, noticing him wince as he sat up in bed. "It's probably just some drunk wedding guests who wanted an afterparty. I'll be fine. Besides, you look like you're about to pass out, and you're not exactly the most formidable person anyway…no offense."

"None taken. You do have a point. Hurry back, love."

She rolled her eyes as she opened the door. She heard him collapse back on the bed behind her as she walked out the door. She didn't have to go too far to find the source of the noise, noticing red solo cups strewn along the hallway outside Robin's door and Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" blaring from the room two doors down. She frowned at their poor - and quite literal - choice in music. She walked over and knocked on the door, but when no one answered she pounded harder. Finally, the door cracked opened and she gasped. "Nick?"

"Ms. Mills?" The teen boy looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. When he managed to close it, he swallowed hard. "Wha…what are you doing here?"

"Funny, I was just about to ask you that same question." Her annoyance with the loud party quickly turned to anger as she put her hand on the hotel room door to push it all the way open and peer inside, subconsciously knowing exactly what, and who, she would find. Nick quickly tried to conceal the beer bottle in his hand behind his back, a futile attempt given the cases of beer and bottles of liquor scattered around the room. Her eyes settled on someone in the corner of the room, holding a red cup and sitting with a girl she vaguely recognized from the high school, completely oblivious to the situation. "Henry Daniel Mills!" Someone turned off the music when they saw her and it suddenly became eerily quiet.

"Mom?!" He dropped the cup in shock as he stared at his mother, his remaining beer spilling onto the hotel carpet. "Why are you here?" He stood up as he processed the turn of events. "And what are you wearing?"

She suddenly remembered she was essentially half naked in a room full of students from her school, and she knew that no one would doubt what she had been up to that evening. She looked down to make sure she was as covered as possible and quickly tried to regain her composure as she crossed her arms over her chest, though her cheeks were still slightly flushed from embarrassment. At this point she just silently prayed that those standing closest to her couldn't smell the leftover alcohol and sex on her. "Not important. Come here. Now." Her eyes scanned the room as she debated her next move. She technically needed to report all these students for underage drinking and violating the school's code of conduct, but she was still too intoxicated to strategize the best way to handle a room of 50 students disturbing the peace in a hotel, particularly when she herself looked like the embodiment of the walk of shame.

Before she had time to say anything else she felt someone approach her from the hallway. "Regina, what's taking so long?" She closed her eyes and let out a loud sigh as she heard his voice behind her, feeling his hand sweep across her lower back and move to her hip. This was bad. At least before the students didn't know who was responsible for her disheveled appearance. Now, it was painfully obvious that she had spent the better part of the post-midnight hours drunkenly screwing another teacher, a teacher everyone knew she hated. She could practically hear the "teachers are supposed to be role models, Regina" lecture she would certainly get from her mother after this, because there was absolutely no doubt that this bit of news would get to the district offices. "Oh, shit." Robin said as he looked into the room and saw Nick, Henry, and a handful of familiar faces staring back at him, jaws agape. A few had even taken out their phones to document the revelation that their favorite teacher and their least favorite teacher were in some sort of frenemies-with-benefits arrangement. Robin immediately dropped his arm from where it had taken residence around Regina's waist, bringing her thoughts back to the immediate mess she was in.

Regina slowly opened one eye and then the other to look over at Robin for the first time since he approached, and she grimaced. He had put his dress pants back on, but nothing else. "Oh, for fuck's sake" she said under her breath. "You couldn't have put on a shirt?"

"You're kind of wearing it…" he quietly reminded her.

"Mom, please tell me this isn't happening."

For a moment she forgot Henry was now standing in front of her, staring at the couple and clearly humiliated that his mother and teacher were sleeping together and now everyone knew about it. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Oh believe me, I wish I could. Get your things. We're going."

"Going where?"

"I am calling a cab and we're going back to the house."

"Uh, Regina?" Robin asked her quietly as he stood in the doorway while Regina waited for Henry.

"What?" She snapped, her tone sharper than she intended. She immediately shot him an apologetic look.

"What do we want to do about the room full of drunk high school students?" He asked as he nodded a head toward the room of underage delinquents. "Clearly we broke up their party and we can't let them drive."

She sighed. "Right. Well, let's let hotel security handle them. Stay here and make sure no one tries to leave, and I can go back to your room and call."

"No need, ma'am." Another voice approached her from the hallway. She looked over to see a hotel security guard arriving, who explained that he had received several complaints called in from various hotel guests about loud music and rowdy behavior. "I've already called the cops and they're on their way to issue citations." The room of students groaned and most looked panicked, making Regina thankful that for a brief moment she and Robin were no longer the main focus.

"Thank you, sir." Regina said as she put her hand on Henry's shoulder and guided him out of the room and down the hall.

"God, this is humiliating," he complained as he walked toward Robin's room with his mother, Robin just a few steps behind them.

"At least your mother was there to get you out before a cop handed you a drinking ticket," Robin chimed in as he stopped to open his hotel room door.

"Oh believe me, he'll wish he had the cops to deal with by the time I'm done with him." Robin opened the door and Regina stepped inside. She looked back at Henry, expecting him to follow her into the room as Robin continued to hold the door open. Instead, Henry just stood and stared at her.

"Oh, there's no way in hell I'm going in there, knowing what happened in that room tonight. I'll wait out here," he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the thought.

Regina sighed. "Fine. Do not move. I'll be right out. I just have to grab my things."

Robin followed her into the room and closed the door. "Are you okay?"

"You know, you've been asking me that a lot recently." She picked one stiletto off the ground and started looking for its twin, finding it on the floor of the ensuite bathroom. She looked at it with a puzzled expression, not entirely sure how it ended up there. She didn't remember the shower playing a role in their early morning activities. "And no, I'm not. Not only did half the senior class basically catch us sleeping together, photos of which I'm sure will be all over Facebook by morning, by the way, but I just busted my 17-year-old son at a hotel party drinking after he lied to my face about where he was going to be tonight. So no, I'm not okay. Clearly I won't be up for any mother-of-the-year awards anytime soon. " She stopped rambling but was fighting back tears. She continued to look around the room, not quite sure what she was looking for…maybe should could find her dignity under the bed.

"Look, Regina, I get that this sucks. And I know it's really not the time to have a conversation about what any of this means so I won't even try, but believe me when I say this isn't how I hoped tonight, or rather this morning, would end." She stopped pacing and looked over at him. "But, I gotta say, you do look cute in my clothes."

At that she smiled briefly, but then quickly frowned as she realized that she was in fact still wearing his shirt and boxers and would have to wear that home. Not to mention her hair and makeup were a mess. "Fuck, this is screwed up. And I need to get Henry home before this gets any worse."

He came over and softly ran his hands along her arms. "I know you do. Just take a deep breath and try not to kill him. And you're not a bad mother. Teenagers do stupid things and make mistakes, but Henry's a good kid. You've done a great job raising him."

"Thank you," she said shyly, as she finally allowed a tear to fall down her cheek and while Robin pulled her into his arms for a hug.

He walked her toward the door and handed her his down parka he had hanging in the hotel room closet. "Here, take this. It's got to be freezing outside and you didn't bring your jacket up here. Plus, you're not wearing pants." He laughed, hoping she would see the humor in the situation.

She smiled graciously and took it. "Thank you. Can I ask you one more favor?"

"Anything."

She took her keys out of her purse. "Can you drive my car back to my house later today when you check out? I'm clearly in no shape to drive right now, and I won't have any way of getting back here this morning. I'll be happy to give you a ride back so you're not stranded at my place after."

"Trusting me with your beloved Benz?"

"I don't have much of a choice."

"Okay…on one condition."

She rolled her eyes. "And that would be…?"

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night."

She smiled. "Well, since everyone knows we slept together, I suppose a dinner couldn't hurt our reputations."

"Good," he smiled back at her. "Does this mean you don't hate me anymore?"

"That's debatable. Goodnight, Robin." She winked at him as she opened the door and quietly left the room, leaving Robin shaking his head as he crawled back into bed, already missing her company.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that's it! I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks again for taking the time to read it, and for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I have some ideas floating around for some longer fics (both more OQ and SQ, because to be honest I love the idea of both ships)...I just have to find the time and motivation to actually write it.**


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